


Space Shanties

by AsheBlender



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22253797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsheBlender/pseuds/AsheBlender
Summary: Shepard likes to sing old shanties. Liara likes to listen.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Space Shanties

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while ago, but just finally finished it. I just like sea shanties and having characters sing them. And, Shepard seems particularly the sort.

Liara would be the first to admit that humans were the aliens she knew least about in terms of culture. Being so focused in her studies of the Protheans, she never really had the time to probe too deeply into this new force on the galactic stage. This had likely proven to be a mistake, considering where she finds herself nowadays. Finding herself on a nearly entirely human ship and knowing absolutely nothing about humans was… a trying experience, to say the least.

She didn’t really know how to talk to any of them, save their commander. That was a problem that should probably be fixed. But, she was… a very nervous person in this type of environment. Especially when most of the humans kind of stared at her when she was walking by. So, she usually resigned herself to simply speaking to Shepard and the two humans who usually joined her meetings.

She had recently come upon something of an epiphany. Something that… might or might not help them figure out something about the visions Shepard had been having. The only problem was that she didn’t really know where the woman was. And, she knew that asking around would probably make the crew a little antsy, so she had simply started looking through Shepard’s usual spots.

The first couple hadn’t been fruitful. She wasn’t in the conference room. And, Joker had given her a bored look and a ‘She’s not hiding under my ass, just so you know’ when she had checked the pilot’s area.

She’d blushed quite heavily, fiddling with her hands. “D… Do you know where she might be?”

His chair spun lazily back toward the console and he had shrugged. “Think she was heading toward the cargo hold? I dunno, I’m just her pilot, not her mom.”

She had given him a quiet thanks and hurried toward the elevator. Honestly, she’s hoping that she can just find Shepard and give her the information she needs to know. With luck she wouldn’t embarrass herself any further than she already had. When the elevator doors open, she takes a few steps out into the cargo hold. She sees Wrex standing next to the doors, arms crossed and looking impassively forward.

“Humans.” He mutters to himself.

She’s a little confused until she hears voices speaking up in the area, drawing her attention with a tilt of her head. She can see Shepard currently lounging atop the Mako (how she got there, she has no idea). Ashley looks to be working on a weapon of hers and Kaidan appears to be fiddling about with some armor. She vaguely recognizes it as the one he wore on the last mission, based on the significant denting in it. Her eyes snap back to Shepard when the woman suddenly starts making odd vocalizations.

“The... worst old ship that ever did sail, sailed outta Harwich on a windy day-” Shepard calls out with a melodic lilt to her voice, eyes closed and foot casually bobbing.

Ashley and Kaidan answer back, Ashley doing so while cleaning her gun. “And we’re waiting for the day, waiting for the day, waiting for the day that we get our pay!”

“She was built in Roman time, held together with bits of twine-”

“And we’re waiting for the day, waiting for the day, waiting for the day that we get our pay!”

Liara’s eyebrow raises a little bit. This was a human practice that she was not entirely familiar with. It seemed to be some manner of coordinated vocalizations. Singing, she believes would be the term. Asari had something like this, albeit… quite different to the rather odd way they’re doing it. It seemed more energetic than asari songs, which are always more formal and slow. Sometimes… very slow.

“Nothin’ in the galley, nothin’ in the hold, but skipper’s turned in with a bag a’ gold-” Shepard hums out, the asari finding herself rather… captivated by her singing voice despite it’s somewhat rough edge to it.

“Fascinating..”

Wrex snorts. “I guess. Sounds like Krogan war songs, but squishier. Makes sense for humans, I suppose.”

Garrus, who had been working on something nearby, squints his eyes thoughtfully at the sight. “Yeah… Kinda sounds like what turians do before a battle. Except it’s a lot less ‘singing’ and ‘melody’ and a lot more ‘stomping and grunts’.”

“Yeah, that sounds like the turians.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. All bluster and nothin’ to show for it.” Wrex rumbles, something akin to a laugh coming from him.

Garrus’ mandibles make an odd twitching motion as he looks to Wrex. “And, Krogan don’t do the same thing?”

“Nope.”

“And, how is it different?”

Wrex levels his glance to Garrus, giving him a dull expression. “Tell me, boy. If you had to face down one of the two, which would you rather take on? A horde of grunting, stomping turians? Or a horde of krogan, singing songs of death, voices dripping in bloodlust?”

Garrus’ mandibles twitch again.

“Thought so.”

Liara has since stopped paying attention to their conversation and started looking toward Shepard in particular. She’s never seen the woman so relaxed. Usually, she’s in action or on her way somewhere with a vengeance. But, right now, she’s just hanging out and calling out the lyrics to some human melody. Something that Kaidan and Ashley seem to be versed in, somehow.

“Off Orford Ness, she sprang a leak! Her ‘er poor old timbers creak-”

“And, we’re waiting for the day, waiting for the day, waiting for the day that we get our pay!”

“We pumped our way ‘round scalby Ness, when the wind backed round to the west-nor’-west-”

She almost feels guilty for coming down here when Shepard was so relaxed, but…

Ashley notices her first. And, she’s hit with eyes that are definitely suspicious of her. It’s very uncomfortable and she does her best to look away from them. She didn’t answer to Ashley, she answered to Shepard. The woman stares her down for a few more moments, like she’s trying to figure out what her angle is, before glancing up at Shepard. “Skipper. T’soni looks like she wants to tell you something, ma’am.”

She suddenly finds attention all on her. Kaidan has looked over from his own viewing of Shepard and looks to be noticing her for the first time. Kaidan’s eyes don’t have nearly as much of the skepticism that Ashley’s do, though he also has something behind his eyes. Maybe a brief flare of… jealousy? She’s not quite sure. If it is, he hides it well enough afterward with a genuine enough smile.

When she finally looks over to Shepard, the expression she finds on the woman’s face makes her heart jump in her chest. The redhead’s eyes are open and she has the most subtle of smiles curling her lips. She’s the only one, so far, who looks genuinely happy to see her from the get-go. Probably the reason she’s the one Liara talks to most often. Besides Chakwas, she supposes.

She’s not quite sure why it makes her heart beat in the way it does, but there you go.

Shepard gives a casual stretch atop the Mako before getting up to her feet and hopping down off the roof. Then, she smiles a little wider and walks up closer to the now blushing asari. “Liara! Didn’t think I’d ever see you out of the medical bay. Must be important.”

“W-What? I have been out of the medical bay… I obviously need to eat and sleep-”

She pauses. Shepard is smirking at her.

“Oh. Mhm. Sarcasm, yes.”

“You wanna tell me on the elevator ride back up? I got things to check out, up on the deck, anyway. Feel like this conversation should be, uh… private. Y’know?”

“S-Sure.”

Nodding, the woman turns her had back toward the other two humans. They stiffen right up, the casual nature of their performance thrown aside for professionalism. “Well, thanks for the song, ladies. But, I gotta get back to work. And, so do you.”

The two salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

They walk into the elevator and Shepard taps the button to close the doors. Liara can see the rest going back to their usual spots in lieu of Shepard’s absence. Ashley goes back to looking over the weapons. Garrus and Wrex look to still be discussing whatever they’d been talking about when Liara had tuned them out. And, Kaidan manages to give her one last glance, that odd emotion from earlier briefly crossing his face again. She wishes she could pinpoint exactly what it was. Unsure of what to do, she gives him a small, nervous wave as the doors close completely.

“Sorry about that.” The redhead suddenly says, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

“Hm?”

“Kaidan looking at you like that?”

“Oh. Um, well… I will admit not knowing the intent-”

“He’s jealous.”

“O-Of me?”

“Yup. ‘Cus, I guess I spend a lot of time making sure you’re alright and, y’know, able to talk to someone. Used to shoot the shit with him a little more. Can’t as much with the fuller crew. Plus, he’s got kind of a crush on me.” The woman says, her tone sounding amused, but also on the verge of a sigh.

“I… had no idea.”

“Yeah, well. You dunno human faces as well as I do. I’ve been meaning to lay down where we stand, but every time I think of having that conversation, I get a headache. Still like the guy. He’s a good soldier, nice to hang out with... But, blegh. I hate dealing with that shit. Tribulations of being in charge, I guess.”

“Has something like this happened before?”

“Couple times since I became a commander. You’d be surprised how many people get all hot and bothered over a commanding woman.”

“I.. see.”

“Anyway. The point is, don’t worry about him. Just because he gives you a few pouty looks, don’t take it personal. He’s working through stuff. He’s not gonna do anything to you. And, even if he was… you’re under my protection.”

That would explain why, even with the crew that would look at her oddly, none had ever come up to her or said anything untoward about her to her face. It was… a comforting thought to know that Shepard was looking out for her well being. Especially when she was very clearly out of her element on a ship full of marines. “Thank you, Shepard. That means a lot to me.”

The genuineness of her words seems to catch the woman off-guard. A little fluster comes to her dark, freckled cheeks and she clears her throat. “No problem. Just makin’ sure you’re treated fair.”

There’s a silence between them after that. She’s unsure if it’s awkward or just… a lack of things to talk about until they were away from prying ears (another thing Liara was confused by, as no alien species she knew of had such strange appendages). She looks up, curiosity overtaking her in lieu of anything else to talk about. “What was that… erm… singing, I believe the term is, that you were doing?”

Shepard glances back at her, blue eyes shining with amusement. “Ah, that. Well, I dunno how much you know about human history?”

“Very little, admittedly.”

“Well, our planet’s about seventy-one percent water. Or, it used to be, anyway. To travel between different landmasses, humans needed to pile into big, wooden boats and sail across the oceans of our world. This was, obviously, before we discovered how to fly in any capacity.”

Liara leans gently on the wall, eyes on Shepard with rapt attention.

“These boats took a lot of work to keep running. Lots of hard work that relied on a lot of individuals. Had to keep ‘em organized and synchronized, so singing songs while working was a way of doing it. Sea shanties. Keeps the crew on a schedule, and paying attention. They were also a way to entertain the crew while traversing what was largely the unknown at the time.” She explains with a smile. “They kinda fell out of use as technology got better. As we conquered the land we knew, less became unknown.”

She grins. “They’ve started to come back a little bit on the less strict Alliance ships, though. Seeing as we’re in the unknown again. Especially down in Engineering. Lots of people doing work needed to keep us running. Anderson’s kinda famous for leading more than a few while traveling. That’s where I learned them. Joker particularly hates the one I was just singing.”

“Interesting.” Liara says with a small, genuine smile. Then, with something approaching a more teasing tone, she speaks again. “Though, it did not look like you were doing work while you were singing.”

Shepard claps a hand to her chest, looking mortally offended. “Why, Doctor T’Soni, I’ll have you know that my awful singing is a morale boost.”

“I wouldn’t say it was awful. I’ve never heard human vocalizations, but I find your voice is rather pleasant.” She admits. And, that makes both of them blush. Goddess, she must be coming off as some sort of fawning juvenile. “I-I mean..”

And, then Shepard is moving. She’s right up close to her and looking down with that smirk of hers. She’s still got that flush on her cheeks, but is handling it decidedly better than Liara. “Y’know… I’ve never heard asari vocalizations, either. We should trade, sometime.”

“I-I assure you it would be awful for you to hear me doing such. Our songs are usually… drawn out.”

Her lips twitch and Liara finds her eyes oddly drawn to them. Were human lips always so pretty? So perfectly formed to make every word look beautiful? “A song’s never awful, with the right company.” Shepard says in a low, soft tone that makes her entire body want to shiver.

“I-I-”

The elevator suddenly dings, startling the young asari near to death. Shepard just backs off, looking out to the CIC for a brief moment before looking back down at Liara. “Mm. We should probably get to talking about what you came down there for. I’ll be in the meeting room. If you need a minute.” She says with a mischievous air about her, seemingly knowing exactly what she did to the poor archaeologist.

She walks out of the elevator with a hum, Liara able to faintly hearing her sing to herself as she walks off toward the meeting room and disappears from sight. “Into the Humber and up to town… Pump, you blighters, pump or drown-”

Well, it’s too late for that. She’s already drowning in all the thoughts flooding her head. Mostly of Shepard. She’s not even sure she remembers what she was going to say to the commander after all that. But, one thought sits chiefly among the many demanding her attention.

_Goddess. I need to learn how to sing._


End file.
